Manufacture of sheet metal



No. 752,411. PATENTED FEB. -16, 1904.

A. PATERSON. MANUFACTURE OF SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14.1902. no MODEL.

ii.iiii.

WITNESSES UNITED STATES Iatented February 16, 1904;,

PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER 'PATEasoN; or WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA '3 MANUFACTURE OF Si lfiE -m i SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,411, dated February .16, 1904.

Application filed May 14, 1902. Serial No. 107,274. (No model.) A I V To all whom, it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER Parnnsoh,

of \Vilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny 1 and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a cere tain new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Sheet Metal, of which the following is afull, clear, and exactdescription, ref' erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the heating-furnace, and Fig. 2 is a like view of the storage-furnace. Fig. '3 is a top plan view "of the pile of packs shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the manufacture of sheet metal the sheet is formed by rolling a hot slab or billetintov blanks or sheets, folding or piling the sheets into packs, and heating and rolling the packs until the desired gage of sheet metal is produced.

My invention relates to the treatment of the metal after it has been formed into packs and for retaining the packs at a proper temperature for rolling. It is especially adapted to use in connection with an improved pack of sheetmetal and method of forming the same, which inventions form the subject-matter of separate applications; but I do not desire to limit the use of my invention to this particular form of pack or to the method of producing the same.

I will now describe my invention, so that others skilled in the art may employ the same,

.the description referring specifically to the use of my method in connection with my improved pack. The pack is formed by cutting a sheet or strip of metal into lengths corresponding to several multiples of the width of the sheet desired and then cutting these lengths transversely by slits extending partially across the blank, leaving a connecting-web of metal along one edge of the same. The blank so cut is then folded along the line of the cuttings into multiples of three or more, the folding being preferably in a zigzag fashion that is, folded first one way and then the other waythus forming a pack of three or more sections, layers, or leaves of sheet metal, all of which are united by the connecting-web of metal at the forward end of the pack. The

leaves are then preferably pressed closely together, forming a piece suitable for building in piles with a numberof other similar packs, which enables themto be readily manipulated in the heating-furnace with the same facility as if they were simple bars or billets. In order to heat these packs before they are rolled into sheets, they are stacked, preferably, transverselyof each other or staggered into a pile or piles,'the cold packs being laid one upon the other until a pile of the required size is formed. Stacking the packs into piles in this manner or staggering them is to enable the workman more easily to seize the individual or separate packs by tongs or other suitable tool when it is desired to remove the same from the furnace without disturbing therest of the pile. Thesepilesfl so formed are then lifted by any suitable cra'ne' or lifting apparatus and are carried to theheating-furnace These furnaces are built of any suitable refractory material," such as fire-brick, and are heated by gas or other fuel. On top of the furnaces are the covers 6, which are supported by the wheels 7, traveling on the track 8, which permits the covers to be moved horizontally from the mouth of the furnaces for the insertion and removal of the pile of packs. Atthe sides of the furnace are doors a, which are supported by chains 5, so arranged that the doors may be opened by elevating the same, and thus permitting the packs to be arranged or manipulated during the heating operation.

The pile of packs 2 having been formed in the manner described, the cover 6 of the furnace is removed and the pile is lowered to the bottom of the furnace. The cover is replaced, and the pile is allowed to remain within the furnace until it is sulficiently heated for the rolling operation. Owing to the fact that the leaves of the pack are pressed together and that these packs are piled one upon the other, only the edges of the pack are subjected to the direct action of the flames or heat in the furpile is kept in the furnace at the temperature ing the heating operation. When the pile has been sufiiciently heated for rolling, the cover of the furnace is removed and the pile is lifted therefrom by means of a crane or other suitable lifting device and carried to and placed in. the storage and delivery furnace 9, (shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,) whereby the packs are maintained at a rolling temperature. The furnace 9 is similar in construction to the furnace already described excepting that the side door 11 is arranged to slide vertically in order that the doorway of the door 11 may be brought to different levels, whereby as each pack of the pile in the furnace is removed from the furnace, the doorway 11 may be brought to.

cold air to the furnace in suflicient quantity to injure the metal or to unduly lower the heat of the same.

In the operation of rolling the packs as a pack is required the door 11 is opened, and

the top pack is withdrawn from the pile by means of tongs or other suitable apparatus, and thereby While a pack heated to the required temperature is obtainable whenever required at the rolls the remainder of the required for rolling.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art; The

packs are not only heateduniformly to the teinperature for rolling, but they are protected from the oxidizing and cutting action of the flames and gases, and they are also readily ations of temperature in the pile of packs is prevented and loss through imperfect heating is greatly lessened if not entirely prevented.

They are also delivered to the rolls at a uniform temperature, and consequently the product produced from the packs is uniform.

Although I have described my method of heating packs as applied to a particular form of pack, 'I do not desire to limit myself to the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 1s

1'. The method of making sheet metal, consisting in heating a pack of sheets in a heatingfu'rnace to' a rolling temperature, transferring the pack while hot to a second heating-furnace, in which the pack is maintained at a rolling temperature, and removing the same therefrom for rolling.

2. The method of making sheet metal, consisting in heating a pile of packs of sheet metal in a suitable furnaceto a rolling temperature, transferring said pile while hot to a heating and storage furnace in which the packs are maintained at a rolling temperature, and removing the packstherefrom separately as required for rolling.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' ALEXANDER PATERSON. Witnesses: A. M. STEEN, JAMES K. BAKEWELL. 

